Funnel



W. R. DEAN FUNNEL Filed May 2, 1922 Nov. 6, 1923.

Patented Nov. 6, 1923.

Utr r wLLIAivi n. DEAN, or FORT PIERRE, SOUTH 'nA-Koala;`

FUN NEL.

Application aiea'iuaya, 1922. serial N0. 557,941.

To all whom t may concern.

Be it known that I, IVILLLAM It. DEAN, citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Pierre, in the county of Stanley and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Funnels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention `:relates to an improved funnel and seeks, as one of its principal objects, to provide adevice of this character embodying an indicator whereby, when filling a vessel or container, in the practical use of the funnel, the common experience of running the vessel or container over may be obviated.

A further object of the invention is to provide a funnel having a float so mounted that when a vessel or container is filled, the float will be raised for indicating that the filling operation should be stopped.

And the invention has as a still further object to provide a funnel well adapted for general use and so constructed that the funnel cannot tilt under the weight of the liquid therein to spill the liquid.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved funnel showing the device in connection with a barrel which is illustrated in dotted lines,

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the device, and

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the funnel.

In carrying the invention into effect` my improved funnel is formed with a bowl 10 which is preferably provided with a fiat back wall 11, while the front wall of the bowl is, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, curved and extended to form the side walls which join with the back wall. Depending from the front and side walls of the bowl is a curved base fiange 12 and mounted upon the back wall is a handle 13. Secured to the several walls of the bowl is a bottom wall -lll which. as shown in Figure 2. slopes towardl the back wall of the bowl and connected to said bottom wall is a discharge pipe 15 slightly spaced forwardlv with respect to the plane of the back wall of the bowl. At a suitably spaced point below said bottom wall. the discharge pipe is notched at'its .forward side to provide a discharge opening 16 and mounted in the pipe at the lower end of said notch is a partition or closure 17. A float chamber 18 is thus defined at the lower end portion of the pipe, the pipe being open at its lower end, and leading upwardly through the pipe from said chamber is a combined guide and vent tube 19 soldered or otherwise secured to the back wall of the bowl. `Freely mounted in the `cham-v ber 18 is an `appropriate float 2O and Connected to said oat is a rod or wire 21 which extends upwardly through the tube 19 and is provided at its upper end with a loop or head 22 adapted to engage the upper end of said tube for limiting the float against downward displacement from said chamber. Formed in the chamber at its rear side is a longitudinally directed slot 23 and extending from the fioat is a pin 24 which projects freely through said slot, locking Vthe float against rotation so that the loop 22 at the upper end of the fioat rod will alwavs be held in a position out of the way parallel to the back wall of the bowl 10.

The present funnel is particularly designed for filling barrels, tanks, or the like, and in the drawing, I have accordingly shown the device in connection with aV conventional metal barrel 25. As illustrated, the discharge pipe 15 is positioned through the filling opening'of the barrel so that the base flange 12 of the funnel rests against the upper end of the barrel. Accordingly, this flange will firmly support the funnel against tilting under the weight of the liquid within the funnel so that spilling of the liquid from this cause will be prevented. As the liquid is poured into the bowl 20 air may, as will now be seen, escape through the tube 19 so that the barrel will be'vented through said tube and should the device be used in connection with a container having a vent opening only large enough to snugly accommodate the discharge pipe 15, the container having a fiat back wall and provided with a reduced discharge pipe of uniform diameter leading from the bowl at one side thereof adjacent said wall,the discharge pipebeing cut away at one side to provide a discharge opening, a partition in the discharoe pipe at the lower end of said opening deiining a float chamber at the lower end portion of the pipe, a tube mounted against said back wall to extend downwardly within the discharge pipe through said partition into said float chamber, a float mounted within the cham'- be'r, and a rod extending from the float up'- wardly within *said tube.

2. In a funnel, the combination of a bowl having` a fiat back wall and provided with a reduced discharge pipe of uniform dia-rneter leading from the bowl at one side thereof adjacent 'said wall, the discharge pipe being cut away7 at one side to rovide a dsch'ar re opening, a partition in the discharge pipe at the lower end of said 'opening defining a float chamber at the lower end portion of the pipe,a tube mounted against said back wall to extend downwardly within the discharge pipe through said partition into said float chamber, a float mounted within the cha-mber, a rod extending from the float upwardly within said tube and provided at its upper end with a head, the wall of said chamber having a slot therein7 and a pin extending from the float freely through said slot for locking the float against rotation whereby to maintain the head of said rod in a predetermined position with respect to the back wall of the bowl.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM n. DEAN. [e e] 

